27 never seen before pictures of the damage caused to Hastings Pier by the fire

A hundred years of history went up in smoke in the early hours of Tuesday, October 5, 2010, as a blazing inferno ripped through Hastings Pier. More than 60 firefighters tackled the fire as it raged throughout the day, with some even taking to the sea to douse the flames from on board an RNLI lifeboat. The Herculean effort could not save the derelict pier and early estimates suggested as much as 95 per cent of the structure had been destroyed. That included the historic ballroom, which had played host to some of the biggest names in music, including the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix.

These pictures give an unusual, close-up insight to the challenging work of the demolition team, tasked to make the structure safe. They were captured by Kev Clark, one of the construction workers who lives in the Hastings area and used to go to the pier as a child.

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